Autopsy of missing Norfolk mom reveals gruesome details

Norfolk, Va. – Phylicia Robinson’s family spent nearly two months searching for the missing mom all over Ocean View, but her autopsy report says she was already dead from “undetermined homicidal violence.”

Norfolk police said it was at the hands of Jamiel Graves, her next door neighbor.

Robinson’s autopsy report says she was “mummified and stiff” when authorities discovered her body in Graves’ closet last year. The autopsy report shows she was wearing a “Planet Fitness” T-shirt, which is the same clothing her family said she was wearing when they reported her missing last October.

The report also says Robinson’s body was “wrapped in several layers of plastic and cloth.” The medical examiner wrote that parts of the plastic, cloth and Robinson’s body were “coated with a white powder resembling lime.” Lime can be corrosive if left on the skin.

The report goes on to say the medical examiner’s efforts to see if she was sexually assaulted before she died were “limited by insect activity”.

In a video-taped interview reviewed during Graves’ preliminary hearing for Robinson’s murder in Norfolk Wednesday, he told Norfolk detectives that he got Robinson into his room the day she went missing and strangled her.

The medical examiner wrote, “The exact cause of death could not be determined at autopsy” but “the most likely cause of death is some form of asphyxia, i.e. strangulation or smothering.”

Virginia Beach authorities say that’s how Graves killed Mandi Myers, the mother of his children. They found her body in her own closet in November.

Virginia Beach prosecutors have upgraded Graves’ charges for Myers death to capital murder, meaning they may seek the death penalty for Graves. A trial date has been set for late July.

Norfolk prosecutors tell NewsChannel 3 they have yet to decide if they’ll do the same for Robinson’s death.